Tuesday, October 10, 2017

Murder for Christmas by Francis Duncan

Imagine a Christmas tradition that has gone on for years.  The host is a bachelor and he invites his friends over.  There are songs, games, and presents for everyone.  There's also an undercurrent of tension.  It gets worse when they find Santa dead in front of the tree...

Sourcebooks Landmark and Edelweiss gave the opportunity to read this book for review (thank you).  It is being published today.

There's an extra guest this year.  He's a former tobacconist that dabbles in amateur sleuthing.  He was curious about the extra note on his invitation and came to find out what it meant.  It's hard to find anyone alone to talk to them.  And it's obvious there are a lot of secrets being kept in the household.

Santa should have been the host.  He's the one that decorates the tree.  But it's his business partner, not him.  Who killed him and why?

As Tremaine digs for answers, he finds all sorts of odd bits that show the host is not what he seems.  He desires power over other people so all those dear "friends" who come to Christmas were there because they had to be.  His Christmas presents were blackmail demands for money!  Then Tremaine figures out how the death happened.  Now he has to determine the killer...

This a good mystery with lots of clues, lots of misdirection, and an almost deadly confrontation with a killer.  I enjoyed reading it. 
 

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